Department for Transport

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Lord Fearn: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what control there is over the flight of drones in the United Kingdom.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Article 166 of the UK Air Navigation order (ANO) 2009 requires operators of RPAS to maintain direct, unaided visual contact with the aircraft sufficient to monitor its flight path in relation to other aircraft, persons, vehicles, vessels and structures for the purposes of avoiding collisions. It also states that an operator may only fly the aircraft if they are reasonably satisfied that the flight can safely be made.In addition, Article 138 of the ANO 2009, which also applies to RPAS, states that “a person must not recklessly or negligently cause or permit an aircraft to endanger any person or property.” This includes persons within another aircraft, and of course the aircraft that those persons are within. The government expects users to understand and comply with this type of regulation which has been made in place for many years, albeit covering the flight of the more traditional model aircraft.Safety and Security must always be the overriding priority and both commercial and leisure operators most operate drones responsibly and within the rules. I am able to confirm that with regards to the policing and monitoring of such vehicles the Police has provided initial guidance to constabularies across the UK.Operators of RPAS that collect personal data must comply with the Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA) unless a relevant exemption applies. The requirements of the DPA are regulated by the independent Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

Severn River Crossing

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 29 October (HL2815) concerning Severn Crossings tolls, why the cost of collecting tolls is not made available by the concessionaire, and whether they will now require them to make that information available.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: There is no contractual requirement for the Severn Crossings concessionaire to provide this cost. The Government has no plans to require that information to be made available.

Roads: Safety

Lord Browne of Belmont: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of road safety awareness educational programmes in reducing accidents.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Road safety education includes a range of interventions including educational courses and publicity campaigns.The Department funds the THINK! road safety publicity campaign. We evaluate the campaign to ensure it is effective, that we continually improve performance; and that we ultimately deliver value for money for the taxpayer.Prior to each campaign we set communication objectives and key performance indicators. We measure progress against these by running surveys with our target audience before and immediately after the campaign. We have seen positive shifts in key performance indicators for the majority of our campaigns. All of our recent campaign evaluation reports are published on gov.uk[1].In the long run, positive changes in key performance indicators on campaigns such as speeding, drink driving and seatbelts have correlated with fewer drivers exceeding the speed limit, fewer accidents involving drink driving and higher seatbelt wearing rates; and ultimately to fewer road casualties.Publicity campaigns are part of the solution to reduce road casualties and work best when used alongside enforcement and engineering interventions. Due to the multiple factors affecting casualties (weather, road conditions, traffic levels, the economy etc.) it is difficult to demonstrate a causal relationship with a specific intervention. However, in 2012 the department commissioned an independent agency to evaluate the impact drink drive campaigns have had on casualties. They used econometric modelling to estimate that over a 30 year period, drink drive communication campaigns have saved almost 2,000 lives and prevented over 10,000 serious injuries[2].In 2013, the Transport Research Laboratory published[3] a review and synthesis of evidence on the effectiveness of pre-driver education and training for those under 17 years of age which was undertaken for the Coalition Government. The findings showed that very few interventions had been robustly evaluated and that the evidence base around pre-driver interventions was weak. The Government recently commissioned an evidence base review, to build on existing work, to help us to understand the effectiveness of a range of pre- and post-test behavioural and technological interventions for young drivers. The Government is currently also funding an evaluation of the effectiveness of speed awareness courses.[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/think-communication-activity[2] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/drink-drive-30-years-of-communication[3] https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/249282/novice-driver-research-findings.pdf

Railways: Land

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions are taking place between the Department for Transport and HM Treasury about the disposal of land owned by (1) Network Rail, and (2) London and Continental Railways.

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what process they are using to assess which parts of Network Rail and London and Continental Railways’ land estate are suitable for disposal, and what conditions will be set to ensure that noise and vibration issues are minimised.

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, where they are working to enable housing developments on Network Rail’s and London and Continental Railways' land estate, what conditions will be set to ensure that noise and vibration issues are minimised.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Summer Budget stated “the government will introduce a new approach to station redevelopment and commercial land sales on the rail network, building on the experience of regenerating land around Kings Cross Station and Stratford in East London – the government will establish a dedicated body to focus on pursuing opportunities to realise value from public land and property assets in the rail network to both maximise the benefit to local communities and reduce the burden of public debt”. Discussions are taking place to develop an approach that maximises value for the taxpayer and supports the safe and efficient operation of the rail network.The disposal of Network Rail’s assets must be in accordance with its network licence, which is regulated by the Office of Rail and Road. London and Continental Railways’ asset disposals are approved by the company’s board and the Department for Transport.Sale contracts for land will not impose conditions on the seller in relation to noise and vibration. Proximity to the railway and related issues such as noise and vibration are generally considered as part of the planning process, which is regulated by the relevant planning authority in accordance with environmental legislation.

Home Office

Forensic Science: Languages

Lord Quirk: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, and if so in what specific ways, they are sponsoring or encouraging research in forensic linguistics with a view to extending its use in the criminal justice system and the immigration services.

Lord Bates: A forensic linguistic process, known as “language analysis”, has been used by the Home Office for immigration purposes for over ten years. The capability is provided by two private suppliers, who were contracted following a competitive tender in 2014.Language analysis is used to assist in identifying an individual’s true place of origin where it is in doubt, and to deter individuals from making fraudulent asylum claims based on false claims of origin for actual or perceived benefit. It is just one of the tools employed to help confirm an individual’s nationality.

Free Movement of People

Lord Empey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether the present arrangements for the free movement of persons throughout the European Union are appropriate, in the light of the current level of population movement.

Lord Bates: The Prime Minister clearly set out in his speech and his letter to the President of the European Council the issues we are seeking to tackle through the EU reform negotiations.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

European External Action Service

Lord Grocott: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the current cost of the EU delegations and offices in third countries, and where those delegations and offices are located.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: Overall figures on the cost of EU Delegations overseas for the 2014 financial year have been taken from the Draft General Budget of the EU for the Financial Year of 2016 and are:Remuneration and allowances €Other administrative expenditure €TOTAL €Total Delegations162.395.182141.772.693304.167.875A full breakdown of the total cost has been extracted and is in the document attached. The figures listed are in Euros.



EEAS Admin Expenditure
(PDF Document, 306.1 KB)

Turkey: Election Observers

Lord Kilclooney: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they participated in the election observer presences at the recent elections in Turkey; and whether OSCE or Council of Europe observer delegations were also present at those elections.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The British Government deployed 2 Long Term Observers to join 18 other Long Term Observers in the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights Limited Election Observation Mission for the early parliamentary elections in Turkey on 1 November 2015.Delegations from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) and the Parliamentary Assembly of the OSCE also observed the elections in Turkey on 1 November.

Azerbaijan: Election Observers

Lord Kilclooney: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they participated in the election observer presence at the recent elections in Azerbaijan; and whether OSCE or Council of Europe observer delegations were also present at those elections.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe Parliamentary Assembly decided not to send observers. However the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe sent a 28 member observation team.

USA: Electronic Surveillance

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have discussed with the government of the United States the collection of UK citizens’ data through the PRISM programme, and if so, with what result.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: It is the long-standing policy of successive Governments not to comment in detail on matters of intelligence. This includes discussions with allies and liaison agencies.

USA: Electronic Surveillance

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the extent to which UK citizens’ data have been collected by the government of the United States through the PRISM programme, and whether they have taken steps to prevent such data being collected in the future.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: It is the long-standing policy of successive Governments not to comment in detail on matters of intelligence. This includes discussions with allies and liaison agencies.

Maldives: Politics and Government

Lord German: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the implications for British tourists of the recent state of emergency declared by the President of the Maldives.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: Following the declaration of a State of Emergency, the Maldives government made clear that there would be no restrictions on tourist movements and that tourist resorts were unlikely to be significantly affected. Our travel advice was updated to reflect this and advised British nationals visiting the Maldives to take extra care and follow local advice. On 10 November the Maldivian government lifted the State of Emergency. Our travel advice has been updated accordingly.

Maldives: Politics and Government

Lord German: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the current political situation in the Maldives.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: As the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon Friend the Member for East Devon (Mr Swire), said in his press statement on 4 November, the British Government is deeply concerned by recent developments in the Maldives. We believe the State of Emergency declared on 4 November impinged on the basic human rights of the Maldivian people and further undermined confidence in the country’s democracy.On 10 November the Maldivian government lifted the State of Emergency. As Mr Swire said in his tweet on 10 November, we welcome the lifting of the State of Emergency and look forward to further positive progress in the Maldives.

Turkey: Kurds

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to remind the government of Turkey of its undertakings contained in the Dolmabahçe Declaration of 27 February.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We welcomed previous steps taken by the Turkish government to take forward the Kurdish peace process, including through discussions with Abdullah Öcalan and his representatives. We understand that the Government of Turkey did not commit itself to specific undertakings following the talks at the Dolmabahçe Palace in February. We have been very clear that the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) violence must end and that the peace process should be resumed, in the interests of Turkey and the wider region. The UK stands ready to help in any way it can.

Human Rights

Lord Judd: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are their criteria for identifying countries of concern in the FCO annual report on human rights and democracy.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: In the 2014 Foreign and Commonwealth Office Annual Report on Human Rights and Democracy, we continued to use the criteria published in the 2012 report to determine whether a country should feature as a country of concern:• the gravity of the human rights situation in the country, including both the severity of particular abuses and the range of human rights affected;• whether a deterioration or improvement in the human rights situation in the country would have a wider impact in the region;• whether the human rights situation in the country has an impact on wider UK interests; and• whether we are able to influence the human rights situation there.

Egypt: Human Rights

Lord Judd: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will designate Egypt as a country of concern in the next FCO annual report on human rights and democracy.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The Foreign and Commonwealth reviewed the use of the designation “countries of concern” earlier this year. We now highlight “human rights priority countries” that we wish to work positively with wherever possible to improve their human rights trajectory.Our criteria in designating a human rights priority country is an evidence-based assessment. We utilise internationally respected indicators and indices, such as the UN Gender Inequality Index and the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) World Press Freedom Index, to form our assessments. Once we have the relevant data, we will take informed decisions as to which countries will be human rights priority countries in 2016.

Egypt: Human Rights

Lord Judd: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of calls for a UN Commission of Inquiry into alleged human rights abuses by Egyptian security forces including those alleged to have taken place in July and August 2013.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We are aware that calls were made for a UN Commission of Inquiry shortly after the events of July and August 2013, as well as on the recent anniversary of these events. In December 2013, Interim President Adly Mansour established a Fact-Finding Committee into the events that followed the removal of former President Morsi in July 2013. The Egyptian government released an executive summary of the Committee’s findings on 26 November 2014, which included recommendations for the police, educational institutions, the legislature, investigative authorities and the media. Since the publication of the summary of the Fact-Finding Committee’s report, the UK has encouraged the Egyptian government to release the report in full, and has stressed the importance of accountability for the deaths that took place during the clearances.

South Sudan: Administration of Justice

The Earl of Sandwich: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to support the implementation of transitional justice in South Sudan following the recent publication of the African Union Commission of Inquiry report on South Sudan.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We welcome the publication of the Commission of Inquiry report and are actively encouraging the African Union to establish the Hybrid Court as soon as possible. In October, the UN Security Council, with UK support, amended the mandate of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) to be able to provide technical assistance to set up both the Hybrid Court and also the Commission for Truth, Reconciliation and Healing.

India: British Nationals Abroad

Lord Ahmed: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 6 November (HL2947), why they have decided not to raise the issue of the three British citizens who were killed during the Gujarat Massacre in 2002 with Prime Minister Modi during his visit to the UK.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: This case is ongoing in the Indian courts. The United Kingdom cannot interfere in another country’s legal system, as we would not expect them to interfere in ours. The British Government has registered its interest in this case, and our officials will continue to press the relevant Indian authorities for the family’s appeal to be heard swiftly and fairly.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Employment: Young People

Lord Ouseley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the Equality and Human Rights Commission's Report Is Britain fairer?, particularly with regard to the employment and earnings prospects of young people aged 16 to 24.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is an independent body, and its report “Is Britain Fairer?” covers a five-year period spanning the Labour and Coalition governments. We welcome the positive areas of progress and note the key challenges to which it refers. The information in the report will be used by the EHRC to help develop its next strategic plan, covering the period 2016-19.Giving young people the skills that businesses need is important. That is why our work to ensure 3 million apprenticeship starts in England over this Parliament is crucial.According to London Economics, the lifetime benefits associated with the acquisition of Apprenticeships at Level 2 and 3 are very significant, standing at between £48,000 and £74,000 for Level 2 and between £77,000 and £117,000 for Level 3 Apprenticeships.The latest data shows that 89% of apprentices are satisfied with their apprenticeship; 85% of apprentices said their ability to do the job had improved, and 83% of apprentices said their career prospects had improved.

UK Trade with EU

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the deficit in trade with the EU in 2014 in (1) goods, and (2) overall in goods and services; and how that deficit is financed.

Lord Maude of Horsham: The UK’s trade in goods deficit with the EU was £78.9bn in 2014. The overall trade in goods and services deficit with the EU was £61.7bn.The UK’s total trade deficit is financed by a net inflow of investment in the financial account, for which data is not available on a geographical basis. The UK’s financial account surplus was £89.4bn in 2014.Source: ONS Pink Book 2015

Airbus SAS

Lord Hunt of Chesterton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, following the French Foreign Minister's visit to Iran, they plan to use the UK's political and official diplomacy to promote Airbus products and make clear that they are not solely French products, but contain significant components from the UK.

Lord Maude of Horsham: We will continue to promote the UK interests in Airbus in support of their global sales campaigns. We work closely with the Company and the governments of France, Germany and Spain on these campaigns given the shared economic benefits that arise from sales of Airbus aircraft. Because of the significant level of UK products on Airbus aircraft, the company is frequently represented on UK trade missions; it also enjoys the financial support of UK Export Finance and the commercial support of UK Trade & Investment’s overseas network.

Cole Commission on Exports

Baroness Kennedy of Cradley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many of the recommendations of the Cole Commission on UK exports they have implemented.

Lord Maude of Horsham: As ministers take forward plans to reform and improve the UK’s export and investment effort, they will take into consideration recommendations in the Cole report, as well as advice and suggestions from a broad range of stakeholders.

Department for International Development

Syria: Reconstruction

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they support the rebuilding of the town of Kobane in Syria; and if so by what means they envisage this being brought about, and whether they will ask the government of Turkey to allow full access for materials and experts.

Baroness Verma: The UK has been at the forefront of the response to the crisis in Syria and the region and has pledged over £1.1 billion to date, our largest ever response to a single humanitarian crisis.The majority of UK assistance to Syria is humanitarian. UK aid, delivered by UN and NGO partners, is guided by humanitarian principles and therefore prioritises the most vulnerable people across Syria based on their needs.We continue to encourage the Government of Turkey to facilitate delivery of cross-border humanitarian assistance and reconstruction materials into Syria. We also advocate for the full reopening of border crossings, and we continue to call on all sides of the conflict to respect International Law and protect civilians.With respect to Kobane specifically, as people return, key priorities are to ensure that habitable areas and farmland are de-mined to make them safe for return as well as ensuring that residents are educated in mine risk awareness.

Department for Education

Schools: Musical Instruments

Lord Berkeley of Knighton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to improve the availability of musical instruments and instrumental teachers in schools.

Lord Nash: Music education hubs are responsible for making sure that every child aged 5 to 18 in their local area has the opportunity to learn a musical instrument through whole-class ensemble teaching and that clear progression routes in music are available and affordable to all young people. Music education hubs must also provide an instrument loan service to support pupils from families with low incomes.According to data published by Arts Council England (ACE), 583,783 pupils learnt to play an instrument at school through whole-class ensemble teaching in the academic year 2013/14, an increase of 52,361 from 2012/13.

Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education

Lord Ouseley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to tackle, through the education curriculum, the increasing level of hate crimes.

Lord Nash: All schools are required to promote the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faith and beliefs. Our guidance published in November 2014 says that British values include accepting that different faiths or beliefs should be tolerated and should not be the cause of prejudicial or discriminatory behaviour. This guidance is attached and can be found online at: www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/380595/SMSC_Guidance_Maintained_Schools.pdfAll schools are required to promote community cohesion and teach a broad and balanced curriculum. The curriculum provides many opportunities to foster tolerance and understanding. As part of the History curriculum, pupils can learn about different cultures, and about how different groups have contributed to the development of Britain. The citizenship programme of study sets out a requirement for pupils to be taught about ‘the diverse national, regional, religious, and ethnic identities in the United Kingdom and the need for mutual respect and understanding’. PSHE can teach young people about the rights and responsibilities of living in a diverse community and how to respect others.All forms of bullying are unacceptable and all schools are required to have in place a behaviour policy with measures to tackle bullying. Schools are held to account by Ofsted and inspectors will look at records and analysis of bullying, discriminatory and prejudicial behaviour, either directly or indirectly, including racist, disability and homophobic bullying, use of derogatory language and racist incidents.We have made it clear to schools that where bullying outside school is reported to school staff, it should be investigated and acted on. If the behaviour could be criminal or poses a serious threat to a member of the public, the police should always be informed.



DfE_Promoting_British_Values_Advice
(PDF Document, 205.47 KB)

Academies

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they will consult with local authorities and Academy sponsors on what role local authorities should play as strategic commissioners when all schools in an area have become Academies.

Lord Nash: At present there are no local authorities where all schools have become academies and therefore the issue has not arisen.

Academies: Equality

Baroness Uddin: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they plan to ensure that all academy schools, their leaders, boards of directors, advisers and heads of department, adhere to all aspects of equality legislation in the UK.

Lord Nash: Academy trusts, and the academies they run, are required to adhere to all aspects of equality legislation. The Department’s model funding agreement for academy trusts, available on GOV.UK, states that the academy trust must ensure the academy promotes principles that support equality of opportunity for all. The Education Funding Agency is responsible, on behalf of the Secretary of State, for holding academy trusts to account for meeting the terms of their funding agreements.

Ministry of Justice

Legal Aid Scheme: Children

Lord Falconer of Thoroton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many applications for exceptional case funding (non-inquests) have been made to the Legal Aid Agency on behalf of applicants aged under 18 each year since the scheme began in April 2013; and of those, how many were granted.

Lord Falconer of Thoroton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many applications for exceptional case funding (non-inquests) have been made to the Legal Aid Agency from applicants aged 18 to 24 each year since the scheme began in April 2013; and of those, how many were granted.

Lord Faulks: The purpose of the Exceptional Case Funding (ECF) scheme is to provide funding where it is legally needed. It does not provide a general power to fund cases which fall outside the scope of legal aid. Legal aid is a vital part of our justice system, but we cannot escape the continuing need to reduce the deficit. We still have a very generous system - last year we spent £1.6bn on legal aid, around a quarter of the department’s expenditure. Every ECF application is carefully considered by the Legal Aid Agency on an individual basis.  Volume of applications and subsequent grants for non-inquest ECF cases by age category and financial year. Financial YearUnder 1818-24UnknownReceivedGrantedReceivedGrantedReceivedGranted2013-1453181-64842014-15245110196122015-161 12 2  22 9  31 7 Note: Age data for Exceptional Case Funding was collected from October 2013 onwards, hence the larger volume of unknowns in 2013-14 compared to the other years.1The latest available published data is up to June 2015 so figures for 2015-16 are for one quarter only.

Defamation: Northern Ireland

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what role the Secretary of State has in ensuring that the law of defamation in Northern Ireland is compatible with the European Convention on Human Rights.

Lord Faulks: As set out in my Written Answer HL2680 on 30 October 2015, under the Human Rights Act 1998 (section 6), all public authorities are under a duty to act in compliance with the Convention rights set out in that Act. As the law on defamation in Northern Ireland is a devolved matter, it is for the Northern Ireland Executive, in considering its policy on the subject, to reach a view on whether the policy under consideration is compatible with the Convention rights.

Sexual Offences

Lord Campbell-Savours: To ask Her Majesty’s Government on what basis the accumulation of evidence obtained during the polygraph test of a given sex offender meets the threshold test of the repeat of criminal actions warranting the furtherance of a custodial sentence.

Lord Faulks: The purpose of the polygraph is to check the compliance of high risk sexual offenders with their licence conditions and to monitor the risk they present to the public. It is also used to improve the way in which the offender is managed during release on licence.An offender may be recalled if they fail to comply with the polygraph examination, attempt to ‘trick’ the test or if they disclose that they have failed to comply with their licence conditions.The legislation for imposing the polygraph test on sexual offenders is enshrined in the Offender Management Act 2007. Section 30 of the Act specifically prohibits evidence of any matter mentioned in the polygraph being used in any proceedings against a released person for an offence in a criminal court.

Human Rights Act 1998

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what response, if any, they have made to the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture in the light of his comments that moves to replace the Human Rights Act 1998 would set a very bad example for the rest of the world.

Lord Faulks: The Government has made no formal response to these comments. The UK has a proud tradition of respect for human rights which long pre-dates the Human Rights Act 1998. Our Bill will protect fundamental human rights, but also prevent their abuse and restore some common sense to the system. The Government will fully consult on our proposals before introducing legislation and we will set out our proposals in due course.

Prisoners: Repatriation

Lord Falconer of Thoroton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government with which countries the UK is currently negotiating prisoner transfer agreements.

Lord Faulks: Revealing negotiations regarding prisoner transfer agreements can be counterproductive given their sensitivity. My Ministerial colleagues and I are actively engaging with a number of countries and remain determined to secure compulsory agreements wherever possible. Currently the UK has over 100 prisoner transfer agreements with other countries and territories.

Legal Profession: Equality

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to support women and ethnic minorities to reach senior positions in the legal sector.

Lord Faulks: The Government is keen to see a diverse legal profession. Regulation of the legal profession is independent of Government. The Legal Services Board (LSB) and Approved Regulators are responsible for setting the requirements for entry to the profession as well as for continued professional development. These bodies have a duty to promote competition in the provision of regulated legal services, and encourage an independent, strong, diverse and effective legal profession.There are a number of initiatives being taken forward on education and training by the three largest frontline regulators for the legal profession, the Solicitors Regulation Authority, the Bar Standards Board and CILEx Regulation, to widen opportunities for a more diverse pool of people to enter the profession through more flexible routes to qualification. These are published on each of the frontline regulators' website.

Ministry of Defence

Human Trafficking: Mediterranean Sea

Lord Empey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many people smugglers have been apprehended by United Kingdom or other European Union armed forces or law enforcement agencies operating in the Mediterranean area.

Earl Howe: As at 10 November 2015, the EU Naval Force Operation in the Mediterranean, Operation SOPHIA, has been involved in identifying 42 suspected migrant smugglers to the Italian authorities for further investigation. Outside of Operation SOPHIA, UK vessels involved in search and rescue operations in the Mediterranean over the period from May to October 2015, have also identified a further 35 suspected smugglers to the Italian authorities.The Ministry of Defence does not hold information on the total number of suspected migrant smugglers apprehended by European law enforcement agencies in the Mediterranean this year.

Human Trafficking: Mediterranean Sea

Lord Empey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many vessels belonging to people smugglers have been apprehended or destroyed in the Mediterranean in 2015.

Earl Howe: Since July 2015, the EU Naval Force Operation in the Mediterranean, Operation SOPHIA, has disposed of around 40 migrant boats. Her Majesty's Government does not hold information on the total number of boats destroyed by other European actors operating in the Mediterranean. Figures are correct as at 10 November 2015.

Armed Forces: Credit Unions

Lord Browne of Belmont: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what recent progress has been made in establishing a credit union for military personnel.

Earl Howe: I refer the noble Lord to the answer given by my hon. Friend, the Minister of State for Defence Procurement (Philip Dunne), in the House of Commons on 2 November 2015 to Question 13242.http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2015-10-23/13242/



QnA extract on Armed Forces: Credit Unions
(Word Document, 14.6 KB)

Department for Work and Pensions

Pension Funds

Lord Empey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress has been made in encouraging small pension funds in the United Kingdom to amalgamate or co-operate in order to be able to compete with larger international pension funds in the purchase of suitable assets.

Baroness Altmann: Automatic enrolment is driving scale in pension provision and the clear trend is towards larger schemes which are better able to take advantage of the economies of scale including better access to a wider range of investment vehicles.The Government fully supports the concrete steps the pensions industry has taken to cooperate on investment strategies – for example, the Pensions Infrastructure Platform (PIP) launched in February last year, and the London Collective Investment Vehicle (CIV) currently under development by a number of local authorities’ pension schemes in London.Moreover, the Government will also work with the Local Government Pension Scheme Administering Authorities more widely to ensure that they pool investments to reduce costs significantly, while maintaining overall investment performance.Trustees and managers are ultimately responsible for making investment decisions in the best interests of scheme members, and the Government recognises the challenges of the current economic environment for scheme funding. The Pensions Regulator sets out on an annual basis its key messages on current market conditions and how trustees and employers can agree appropriate funding plans that protect members’ benefits without undermining the sustainable growth of the employer.Ministers continue to meet regularly with key stakeholders from the pensions industry to understand better the range of challenges facing schemes and employers and will consider whether there are further steps the Government could take.

Social Security Benefits

Baroness Lister of Burtersett: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the impact on (1) the total number of households whose benefits would be capped under the new limits proposed in the Welfare Reform and Work Bill, (2) the number of children in households affected by the cap, and (3) the cost to the public purse, if (a) child benefit, and (b) child tax credits, were not included in the benefits cap.

Lord Freud: The Government set out its assessment of the impacts of the policies in the Welfare Reform and Work Bill on 20th July. These are available on the Parliament website.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Cetaceans: Faroe Islands

Lord Taylor of Goss Moor: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to theWritten Answer by Lord Gardiner of Kimble on 17 September (HL2164), whether they will place in the Library of the House a copy of the letter from the UK Commissioner to the International Whaling Commission to the governments of Denmark and the Faroe Islands about concerns over the welfare and sustainability of their hunts.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: A copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Housing: Floods

Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will bring together key stakeholders in flood risk information with representatives of estate agents and property search websites to ensure people buying a property are given up-front information about its flood risk.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: Potential buyers wishing to know whether a property has been flooded in the past can check with the local authority or Environment Agency.Information relevant to flood risk is already available. An interactive map, which can not be attached to this answer, showing UK flood zones can be found on the Environment Agency’s website at:http://maps.environment-agency.gov.uk/wiyby/wiybyController?x=357683.0&y=355134.0&scale=1&layerGroups=default&ep=map&textonly=off&lang=_e&topic=floodmap&utm_source=Poster&utm_medium=FloodRisk&utm_campaign=FloodMonth13#x=500293&y=181865&lg=1,2,10,&scale=6.

Housing: Floods

Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to encourage builders of new homes to give potential purchasers details of the flood risk affecting those properties at an early stage.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: DEFRA and the Environment Agency provide readily available information on flood risk that any prospective house buyer can access and the Law Society have agreed that flood risk will form part of solicitors' searches before final purchase. The Law Society have a good practice note (attached) on how this can be carried out, which can be found online at:http://www.lawsociety.org.uk/support-services/advice/practice-notes/flood-risk/



Law Society Flood Risk Practice Note 
(Word Document, 39.63 KB)

Local Government Pension Scheme Advisory Board: Public Appointments

Baroness Janke: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what process they followed in making appointments to the Local Government Pension Scheme Advisory Board.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Secretary of State is responsible for appointing members to the local government pension scheme’s advisory board. No more than 12 members in total may be appointed, divided equally between members representing scheme members and scheme employers in England and Wales.The list of appointments made by the Secretary of State is shown below. The appointments were made on the basis of nominations submitted by the Local Government Association on behalf of local authority employers and the three major local government trade unions. The 12 appointments shown below replaced the members of a shadow scheme advisory board established in July 2013.Local authority employer representativesCouncillor Roger Phillips (Herefordshire County Council representing non-local authority employers)Emelda Nicholroy (Universities and Colleges Employers Association representing education employers).Councillor Michael Adams (London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham representing London councils).Councillor Keiran Quinn (Greater Manchester Pension Fund representing Metropolitan authorities)Councillor Denise Le Gal (Surrey County Council representing English local authorities)Councillor Mary Barnett (Torfaen Pension Fund representing Welsh local authorities)Scheme member representativesJon Richards - UNISONChris Tansley – UNISONBrian Strutton - GMBGary Warwick - GMBFiona Farmer - UNITEDick Banks - UNITE

Right to Buy Scheme: Housing Associations

Lord Campbell-Savours: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 28 October (HL2728), whether they will set out the broad circumstances in which a housing association or Community Land Trust could exercise discretion in deciding whether to sell a property to a tenant.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Government is currently engaging with the National Housing Federation and the housing association sector on implementing the Right to Buy Agreement. Further details will be announced in due course.

Empty Property: Greater London

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 24 September (HL2300), why empty dwellings in London are not being filled in order to tackle the housing shortage.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: My answer of 24 September showed a trend of decreasing empty dwellings in London; from 42,600 in 2004 to 20,795 in 2014. Local authorities across the country have powers and strong incentives to tackle empty homes. Through the New Homes Bonus they can earn the same financial reward for bringing an empty home back into use as building a new one. Councils may also charge up to 150% council tax for homes empty for over two years.My Department will continue to encourage London councils to use these empty dwellings for housing.

Council Tax Reduction Schemes

Lord Beecham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they will take to ensure that residents in council areas with low levels of business rates are protected from the effects of the change to funding council tax benefit by retained business rates in 2020.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: By the end of this Parliament, when local government will keep 100% of the £26 billion of business rates they raise locally, our ambition is that local councils will meet their spending needs, including local council tax support, from local taxation and other locally raised income. At the point that we introduce 100% business rates retention, there will continue to be a measure of redistribution to ensure that no authority loses out just because it starts from a relatively weaker position.

Private Rented Housing: Fees and Charges

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to prevent excessive letting fees being charged to private-sector tenants.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Government has acted to protect tenants against unfair and excessive letting agency fees by requiring agents to publish a full breakdown of all charges prominently in their offices and on their website. A fine of up to £5,000 can be levied against agents who fail to comply.Transparency is the key to keeping fees low, giving tenants the necessary information to make informed decisions and compare prices and, therefore, creating effective competition that should force agents to keep fees fair.The Government has also made it a legal requirement, since 1 October 2014, for letting and managing agents in England to belong to one of the three Government approved redress schemes, offering a clear route for landlords and tenants to pursue complaints and, therefore, driving up standards.We will continue to monitor the impact of these new requirements.

HM Treasury

Electronic Commerce: VAT

Lord Lucas: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of recent reports about VAT fraud by online traders operating from abroad, what action they are taking to reduce the extent of such tax evasion, and whether that action will be completed before Christmas in order to protect UK businesses.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: HM Revenue and Customs is actively targeting operational and intelligence activity, as well as a range of other options, to tackle this issue.

Electronic Commerce: VAT

Lord Lucas: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of recent reports about VAT fraud by online traders operating from abroad, what is their estimate of the impact of such tax evasion on (1) the public purse, and (2) UK businesses.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: Any UK VAT losses arising from online traders operating from abroad are already included within the published UK Tax Gap.The estimate of the VAT Gap published in “Measuring Tax Gaps 2015 edition” on 22 October 2015 is £13.1 billion. Overall, the UK Tax Gap was 6.4 per cent in 2013-14,down from 6.6 per cent in 2012-13. As part of that, the VAT Gap is calculated as 11.1 per cent in 2013-14, a reduction from 11.9 per cent in 2012-13.

Electronic Commerce: VAT

Lord Lucas: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of recent reports about VAT fraud by online traders operating from abroad, what discussions they have had in the last three months with (1) Amazon, and (2) eBay, about the extent of such tax evasion on their online marketplaces.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: HM Revenue and Customs is in regular contact with the largest businesses through its dedicated “Customer Relationship Manager” model.Details of discussions with individual taxpayers cannot be disclosed due to taxpayer confidentiality.

Electronic Commerce: VAT

Lord Lucas: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of recent reports about VAT fraud by online traders operating from abroad, whether they plan to require HM Revenue and Customs to work closely with the Chartered Trading Standards Institute in tackling such tax evasion, in particular through Amazon's and eBay’s online marketplaces.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: HM Revenue and Customs is actively targeting operational and intelligence activity to tackle this problem. This involves working closely with a number of external bodies, including Trading Standards.

Electronic Commerce: VAT

Lord Lucas: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of recent reports about VAT fraud by online traders operating from abroad, whether they plan to pursue (1) Amazon, and (2) eBay, for any UK VAT that has been evaded by traders using those online marketplaces; and if not, why not.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is actively targeting operational and intelligence activity to tackle this issue. However, HMRC is unable to give details of its plans in respect of any individual taxpayer because of taxpayer confidentiality.

EU Budget: Contributions

Lord Empey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether, if the European institutions decided to increase the European Union budget due to the migration crisis, the United Kingdom would be legally required to pay a proportion of such an increase.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: The Government does not believe that it is meaningful to speculate on hypothetical scenarios. The Government’s position is to argue for maximum reprioritisation of the EU budget from areas of lesser priority in order to accommodate migration spend within the limits of the 2014-2020 Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) in the 2016 annual budget negotiations.

Social Security Benefits

Baroness Lister of Burtersett: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the median amount of (1) child benefit, and (2) child tax credit, received by working families with children whose family earnings are at least £23,000 in Greater London, or £20,000 outside Greater London.

Baroness Lister of Burtersett: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of working families earning at least £23,000 in Greater London, or at least £20,000 outside Greater London, receive (1) child benefit, and (2) child tax credit.

Baroness Lister of Burtersett: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of tax credit recipients in paid work have incomes above the income tax threshold.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: The government is committed to achieving a higher wage, lower tax, lower welfare economy. That means more emphasis on support to working families on low incomes through reducing tax and increasing wages, than on topping up low wages through tax credits.The Chancellor is listening to concerns raised by colleagues and will announce in his Autumn Statement how he plans to achieve the same goal of reforming tax credits and saving the money we need to secure our economy, while at the same time helping in the transition.HM Revenue & Customs publish statistics about individuals and households claiming tax credits and child benefits, which are available on the gov.uk website.

Population

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are their plans to deal with the increase in the United Kingdom population to 70 million within 12 years and 74.3 million by 2030, as projected by the Office for National Statistics, and what estimate they have made of the cost of those plans.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: The recent 2015 Office for National Statistics projections predict the United Kingdom population to reach 70 million in 2027. This is consistent with their previous 2013 projections which also predicted the UK population would reach 70 million in 2027. The new projections forecast the population to increase to 71 million by 2030, as did the previous projections.Population growth does not necessarily cause an equivalent increase in demand for all public services, because at different points in their lives people will use different services. For instance, population increases caused by people living longer than previously, might increase demand for health services but probably would not increase demand for classroom places.However, as these increases are largely consistent with the previous population projections, they are well covered by existing plans and planning processes. Public services are provided local authorities and central departments. Local Government and Departmental budgets are set in advance through multi-year Spending Reviews. This allows the Government to make decisions on all areas of public spending in the context of projected demand and available resources while ensuring the public finances remain sustainable in the long term. Departments are responsible for deciding how this money is then allocated, subject to strict Treasury rules on the proper management of public funds. This allows money to flow to where it is most needed, given demographic pressures and other considerations.The independent Office for Budget Responsibility produce 50-year forecasts of the sustainability of the public finances in the biannual Fiscal Sustainability Report. For instance, the most recent report highlighted pressures from growth in health spending, state pension costs, and the costs of long-term social care. In response to these pressures, the Government introduced reforms that will save £500 billion over the next 50 years.

Cabinet Office

Electoral Register: Young People

Lord Lexden: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will ensure that local electoral registration offices in England and Wales work closely with schools, as has been done in Northern Ireland, to increase the number of young people registered to vote.

Lord Bridges of Headley: Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) in Great Britain already work with their local schools and colleges to identify and register young people.In a report before the start of the current canvass of electors in Great Britain, the Electoral Commission called on all EROs to update their local public engagement strategies for the canvass. The Commission noted that strategies should reflect the activity EROs intended to carry out to target under-registered groups, such as attainers.

Natural Disasters

Lord Crisp: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to implement the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030.

Lord Bridges of Headley: The UK adopted the Sendai Framework in March 2015. The UK has a range of robust mechanisms in place for dealing with disasters and reducing disaster risk. The National Focal Point for Disaster Risk Reduction, the Civil Contingencies Secretariat in the Cabinet Office, recently attended the European Forum for Disaster Risk Reduction, the regional body responsible for tracking progress against the Sendai targets. Implementation of the Sendai Framework is at an early stage, but work is ongoing within the UK to further improve domestic disaster risk reduction, and sharing best practice and building capability overseas – including through peer review, highlighted in the Sendai Framework as a means to strengthen disaster risk governance. The UK volunteered to be the subject of the first international peer review in 2012, and UK experts have subsequently taken part in peer reviews in Bulgaria and Finland.

Government Departments: Telephone Services

Lord Quirk: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answers by Lord Bates, Lord Faulks, and Lord Bridges of Headley on 21 September (HL2010, HL2011, HL2014), to what extent they are examining the potential use of Automatic Speaker Verification in respect of the detection of fraudulent telephone access to government services.

Lord Bridges of Headley: The government currently has no plans to introduceAutomatic Speaker Verification in respect of the detection of fraudulent telephone access to government services.

Unemployment

Baroness Manzoor: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are their definitions of worklessness and workless family, and how those definitions were decided.

Lord Bridges of Headley: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



Attachment from ONS
(PDF Document, 120.52 KB)

Strategic Defence and Security Review

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they expect the Strategic Defence and Security Review to be (1) completed, and (2) published.

Lord Bridges of Headley: Work on the Strategic Defence and Security Review is progressing well and we expect it to be completed and published by the end of the year.

Government Departments: Procurement

Baroness Redfern: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether steps are being taken to amend European Union procurement rules to ensure more United Kingdom companies' involvement in government projects.

Lord Bridges of Headley: The new EU Directive on Public Procurement was transposed in the Public Contracts Regulations 2015, which came into effect earlier this year. The Regulations implement a range of reforms, including offering flexibility for contracting authorities to take into account relevant wider social and economic considerations, where consistent with best value for money, in Government procurement activities. We have also published new Cabinet Office guidance which will help steel suppliers compete on a level playing field with international suppliers for major government contracts.

Charities: Finance

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bridges of Headley on 21 July (HL1392), whether, in the light of the collapse of Kids Company, they will now publish a list of charities receiving significant donations from government departments or the National Health Service.

Lord Bridges of Headley: The 2014/15 government Grants Register will be published in the coming months by the Grants Efficiency Programme in the Cabinet Office. The Register includes high level details on all central government grant schemes, not just those to charities. It does not include details of all recipients or grants made by the NHS or local authorities. To improve sharing of information on grant awards, the Grants Efficiency Programme is developing a grants data repository.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Cybercrime

Lord Browne of Belmont: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to protect organisations and businesses in the UK from cybercrime and large-scale cyber-attacks, and what steps they are taking particularly to assist SMEs with cybersecurity.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The Government is investing £860m in a comprehensive National Cyber Security Programme (NCSP) to protect the UK from cyber attacks, tackle cyber crime and make the UK one of the safest places in the world to do business online.Ministers have been looking at the whole of the government's cyber security programme in the light of recent problems at Talk Talk and elsewhere and a further statement will be made next week as part of the Strategic Defence and Security Review.

Department of Health

Care Quality Commission: Fees and Charges

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consultation will take place with MPs and Peers on the proposals to increase fees set out in the consultation paper published by the Care Quality Commission on 2 November.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The Care Quality Commission(CQC) has no plan to hold a separate consultation with Members and Peers. The CQC encourages anyone who wishes to contribute to the consultation, including Members of Parliament, to do so through the public consultation process.The consultation sets out the CQC’s proposals in relation to fees for the 2016-17 fee scheme, and the pace at which it intends to achieve full cost recovery.

South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to set up a public inquiry into the actions of the South East Coast Ambulance NHS Trust in delaying its response to patients with life-threatening conditions who contacted the 111 service.

Lord Prior of Brampton: We are advised that Monitor, the independent regulator of NHS foundation trusts, is taking action with South East Coast Ambulance Service Foundation Trust regarding concerns about the project and the regulator is working with the Trust now to identify the negative impact this project could have had on patients. It is Monitor’s function to undertake such investigations independently of the Department. Monitor and Departmental officials regularly discuss such issues on a routine basis.As part of regulatory action, Monitor advises it has asked the Trust to carry out a detailed independent review of the impact the project had on patients. Monitor has asked the Trust to do this with the help of an external expert, who the regulator will select. The full details of what the review will look at and how long it will take are being worked on by the trust and Monitor, including consideration of publication of the review findings.Monitor sets the governance and operational standards, or ‘bar’, that all NHS foundation trusts must meet to be eligible for the NHS provider licence that it issues. The regulator monitors the continuing performance of licensed providers to make sure the required standards are being maintained and if it see signs that an NHS foundation trust may slip below the bar, Monitor can step in to help the trust avoid more serious problems and, if necessary, take formal steps to make sure problems are fixed.Monitor advised it has also added a condition to the Trust’s licence so that, if sufficient progress is not made, further action could be taken. This includes changing the leadership team at the trust, if necessary.In addition, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) advises the Trust is scheduled for a comprehensive inspection in 2016.NHS England has also undertaken an external investigation of the project and the report of the investigation does not identify any deaths occurring as a result of this project. The report was published by NHS England on 5 November 2015 and is attached.As such, the Government therefore has no plans at this stage to set up a public inquiry.The Government is committed to driving up the quality of investigations in the National Health Service in order to reduce the need for expensive and lengthy public inquiries in the future. In July the Secretary of State announced the Government’s decision to establish a new independent patient safety investigation service to be launched in April 2016. The new body will offer support and guidance to health and care provider organisations on investigations into serious patient safety incidents, and carry out certain investigations itself.



South East Coast Ambulance 111 Calls Report
(PDF Document, 514.73 KB)

South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the number of deaths that have occurred as a result of the actions of the South East Coast Ambulance NHS Trust in delaying its response to patients with life-threatening conditions who contacted the 111 service.

Lord Prior of Brampton: We are advised that Monitor, the independent regulator of NHS foundation trusts, is taking action with South East Coast Ambulance Service Foundation Trust regarding concerns about the project and the regulator is working with the Trust now to identify the negative impact this project could have had on patients. It is Monitor’s function to undertake such investigations independently of the Department. Monitor and Departmental officials regularly discuss such issues on a routine basis.As part of regulatory action, Monitor advises it has asked the Trust to carry out a detailed independent review of the impact the project had on patients. Monitor has asked the Trust to do this with the help of an external expert, who the regulator will select. The full details of what the review will look at and how long it will take are being worked on by the trust and Monitor, including consideration of publication of the review findings.Monitor sets the governance and operational standards, or ‘bar’, that all NHS foundation trusts must meet to be eligible for the NHS provider licence that it issues. The regulator monitors the continuing performance of licensed providers to make sure the required standards are being maintained and if it see signs that an NHS foundation trust may slip below the bar, Monitor can step in to help the trust avoid more serious problems and, if necessary, take formal steps to make sure problems are fixed.Monitor advised it has also added a condition to the Trust’s licence so that, if sufficient progress is not made, further action could be taken. This includes changing the leadership team at the trust, if necessary.In addition, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) advises the Trust is scheduled for a comprehensive inspection in 2016.NHS England has also undertaken an external investigation of the project and the report of the investigation does not identify any deaths occurring as a result of this project. The report was published by NHS England on 5 November 2015 and is attached.As such, the Government therefore has no plans at this stage to set up a public inquiry.The Government is committed to driving up the quality of investigations in the National Health Service in order to reduce the need for expensive and lengthy public inquiries in the future. In July the Secretary of State announced the Government’s decision to establish a new independent patient safety investigation service to be launched in April 2016. The new body will offer support and guidance to health and care provider organisations on investigations into serious patient safety incidents, and carry out certain investigations itself.



South East Coast Ambulance 111 Calls
(PDF Document, 514.73 KB)

South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they will ensure that the Board of the South East Coast Ambulance NHS Trust is held to account for its decision to delay its response to patients with life-threatening conditions who contacted the 111 service.

Lord Prior of Brampton: We are advised that Monitor, the independent regulator of NHS foundation trusts, is taking action with South East Coast Ambulance Service Foundation Trust regarding concerns about the project and the regulator is working with the Trust now to identify the negative impact this project could have had on patients. It is Monitor’s function to undertake such investigations independently of the Department. Monitor and Departmental officials regularly discuss such issues on a routine basis.As part of regulatory action, Monitor advises it has asked the Trust to carry out a detailed independent review of the impact the project had on patients. Monitor has asked the Trust to do this with the help of an external expert, who the regulator will select. The full details of what the review will look at and how long it will take are being worked on by the trust and Monitor, including consideration of publication of the review findings.Monitor sets the governance and operational standards, or ‘bar’, that all NHS foundation trusts must meet to be eligible for the NHS provider licence that it issues. The regulator monitors the continuing performance of licensed providers to make sure the required standards are being maintained and if it see signs that an NHS foundation trust may slip below the bar, Monitor can step in to help the trust avoid more serious problems and, if necessary, take formal steps to make sure problems are fixed.Monitor advised it has also added a condition to the Trust’s licence so that, if sufficient progress is not made, further action could be taken. This includes changing the leadership team at the trust, if necessary.In addition, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) advises the Trust is scheduled for a comprehensive inspection in 2016.NHS England has also undertaken an external investigation of the project and the report of the investigation does not identify any deaths occurring as a result of this project. The report was published by NHS England on 5 November 2015 and is attached.As such, the Government therefore has no plans at this stage to set up a public inquiry.The Government is committed to driving up the quality of investigations in the National Health Service in order to reduce the need for expensive and lengthy public inquiries in the future. In July the Secretary of State announced the Government’s decision to establish a new independent patient safety investigation service to be launched in April 2016. The new body will offer support and guidance to health and care provider organisations on investigations into serious patient safety incidents, and carry out certain investigations itself.



South East Coast Ambulance 111 Calls
(PDF Document, 514.73 KB)

Fluoride: Drinking Water

Earl Baldwin of Bewdley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answers on fluoride in drinking water by Lord Prior of Brampton on 21 September (HL1940 and HL2178), what evidential weight they give to ecological analyses which compare health outcomes in a fluoridated area with those in an unfluoridated one.

Lord Prior of Brampton: Ecological studies are used for comparing public health outcomes in populations. This is particularly so where multiple populations can be included, there can be a proper account of other factors that might have affected the recorded levels of disease and where reasonable assurance that the ascertainment of disease or exposure to a factor under study has been the same for all observed populations.As such, this study design is appropriate for monitoring health outcomes in fluoridated and non-fluoridated populations. As an example of the caution that should be adopted when observing differences between fluoridated and non-fluoridated populations, the authors of the 2014 Public Health England (PHE) health monitoring report, both in the report and in a recent summary in the scientific literature (Young et. al. 2015 which is attached) stressed that, whilst lower levels of renal stones and bladder cancer were observed in fluoridated populations, the ecological design prohibits any conclusions being drawn about a protective role of water fluoridation for these conditions.



Young et al 2015
(PDF Document, 91.02 KB)